Basketball Books


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Basketball Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Basketball
Bob Huggins: Pressed for Success
Published in Hardcover by Sagamore Publishing (1995-10-07)
Author: Bob Huggins
List price: $22.95
New price: $6.46
Used price: $3.68

Average review score:

Best college basketball coach in the game today!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-24
Bob Huggins reveals his excellent coaching skill and extreme discipline that anabled him to build a basketball powerhouse at the University of Cincinnati.

huggins is God
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-06
I just have one question for everyone who has read this book? Is Bob Huggins disguised as God or is God disguised as Bob Huggins?

Great for fans of the Bearcats
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-01-14
This book relives the great teams of the early Nineties. If you attended UC in the Eighties and Nineties then you'll love this book

it was the greates book of all time, just like the coach
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-14
This book excedes all expectations and tells what it is really like to run a winning program. He holds nothing back and tells it like it is. He is not afraid of the consquences of his actions because his players know that he will lay the smack down. Anyone who does not like this book must be a Xavier(Norwood University) fan or a fan of another confrence usa team.

This book drags on and on.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1997-07-15
It what could of been an interesting book about the sometime volatile coach, Huggins spends too much time discussing season after season, game after game. The early part of the book is better. This is where he discusses how he came to be a coach. I wanted more about the behind the scenes look at coaching rather than a game by game summary

Basketball
Calling the Shots: My Five Decades in the Nba
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1990-11)
Author: Earl Strom
List price: $18.95
New price: $39.80
Used price: $0.33
Collectible price: $65.00

Average review score:

Good book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-15
It shows the game from a ref's standpoint.. it's a good book

The other side of basketball...Referee standpoint
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-25
If you're a basketball official, you need to read this book. Earl Strom was regarded as the best and he couldn't write this book until he retired. It's now out of print, but if you can locate it, do it! Is Fantastic...

Hillarious insights from a great referee.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-28
Earl Strom is regarded by many as the greatest referee in NBA history. He was officiating NBA games for over forty years, and his insights tell a lot about the changes in the game over the years.

The book is comprised mostly of insights, stories, and reflections about the game and Strom's career. It contains some sound advice for beginning officials, as well as interesting technical criticisms of officiating mechanics today compared to the mechanics of the fifties and sixties. It also contains hilarious stories from behind the scenes - fights with fans, for example, something you will never see in an NBA game today. Overall, this book is a must for every fledgling basketball official and basketball enthusiast.

Entertaining story from a referee's viewpoint
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-02
I found this book to be entertaining; a good book, but not a great one. It is filled with Earl Strom's own perspectives on the game, the business, and the industry of professional basketball, and these perspectives are well worth reading.

A person who spent parts of five separate decades in the NBA is certainly going to have a lot of stories to tell about life on the road, the pressures of the job, the pressures on family due to extensive travel, and so on. Many, though I am sure not all, of Earl Strom's stories appear here.

The author also adds some little pieces of advice for the prospective referee. Here is one really good one:

"I've known guys who started out strong and were courageous enough to make tough calls against the home team late in the game if they had to be made, but you could see them change as the players and the coaches and the fans got to them. 'Why bring the house down on my head? Why get killed for something nobody really appreciates anyway?' I've had guys say that to me. If you ever stop to say, 'What's going to happen to me if I make this call?' you might as well take your whistle and shove it because that's all the respect you're giving it. I was taught from the beginning, and it has stuck with me through all these years, that it's much easier to fight your way out of a place than to have to go look in the mirror and admit you backed down from a tough call." (pp 31-32)

With only a little bit of a down side, I would call this a pretty decent book. Four stars.

The other side of basketball...Referee standpoint
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-25
If you're a basketball official, you need to read this book. Earl Strom was regarded as the best and he couldn't write this book until he retired. It's now out of print, but if you can locate it, do it! Is Fantastic...

Basketball
Coaching Youth Baseball: A Baffled Parents Guide (Baffled Parent's Guides)
Published in Paperback by International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press (2000-03-29)
Author: Bill Thurston
List price: $14.95
New price: $4.49
Used price: $0.32
Collectible price: $14.95

Average review score:

Highly recommended
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-01
I am one of those parents that played a limitted amount of Baseball when I was a kid then never played again. Faced with a child in kindergarten that wanted to play on a pee-wee team that needed a coach, I volunteered. This book has not only helped me coach, but also helped the kids be better players. Thanks to Amazon's extensive selection, I once again was able to bail myself out.

Great book on Coaching youth sports
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-02
This entire series is great for beginning to intemediate coaches. Plenty of great ideas to try on your team.

Baffled No More!
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-07
This was the first "Coaching" book I have purchased. The book provides excellent insight into what is truly involved in coaching a youth baseball team. The practice planner section was a big help in conducting an organized and effectice practice. I highly recommend this book to beginning coached like myself or seasoned veterans.

Worked for me
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-11
I bought this book after I had volunteered to coach a Pinto League (7-8 yr old) team that my son was on. This book provided a good starting point for getting organized and creating a good practice worksheet. Sound baseball fundamentals, being organized and having fun in a supportaive environment lead to a successful and happy Little League experience.

Good Starter Book
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-02
A Well Organized book, as a rookie coach last season, it gave me what I needed to know. I particularly liked the overview of safety presented up front -- too many people take this for granted and stupid injuries can result.

Be Advised though that the rest of the Baffled Parents Series doesn't necessarily live up to the standard set by this book - I found the Basketball book very average.

Basketball
Coaching Youth Basketball: The Guide for Coaches & Parents
Published in Paperback by Betterway Books (2006-09-12)
Author: Jr., John Mccarthy
List price: $14.99
New price: $2.16
Used price: $2.16

Average review score:

A good all around starter book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-29
I was asked to coach my son's basketball team for the YMCA. Not being a big fan of the game, I needed a good introduction and skill fundamentals for third and fourth graders.

The book covered all aspect for someone new at coaching basketball.

Awesome tool for new coaches
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-01
Great tool for first time coaches. I'm coaching 7 year olds that never played basketball before and this is helping me coordinate my practice and game plans.

A must have book for youth basketball coaches
Helpful Votes: 23 out of 23 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-09
I have coached kids (boys and girls) in basketball of ages 4-12, this book provided the best information on what to do and what to expect. Particularly, the part of patience, repetition/reinforcement, and the fundalmentals. The recommended offensive plays (post interchange, wheel, shuffle, etc.) and defensive strategies (whether man-to-man or zone) are excellent. Additionally, the chapters on vision, motivational phrases, and running a practice are worth reading. The author recommends the use of parents during practice time, called "stations" to maximize proper skill development. This book is a must for those interested in coaching youth basketball.

Very good book on B.Ball for youth, with tips for parents
Helpful Votes: 76 out of 78 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-07
This book does a good job of covering the basics, including the fundemental of shooting, dribbling, passing, pick and roll, give and go, fakes,etc. with good photos. Good section on defense fundamentals too. There are also sections on offense and defense (both man-to-man & zone) with diagrams. There are sections for coaches including running a practice complete with a check list. A good section for parents is added complete with motivational phrases.

A Practical Guide To Coaching youth Basketball
Helpful Votes: 78 out of 78 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-13
A woderful book. Short (156 pp.) and highly readable, McCarthy makes it all very simple. McCarthy covers the fundamentals (footwork, dribbling, rebounding, etc.) but intersperses his text with invaluable practical advice -- e.g., "I always say to drive as close to a defender as possible. If he reacts and moves back into that lane, he will commit a foul." There is also a great emphasis on team play, and how to encourage kids to pass and play a team game. I have played and coached basketball for twenty five years. While this book covers enough basics for a novice, it also contains many valuable insights that I use in coaching a 12 and under youth program today.

Basketball
Game Within the Game, The
Published in Hardcover by Hyperion (2006-10-17)
Authors: Walt Frazier and Dan Markowitz
List price: $24.95
New price: $1.38
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Dishin' & swishin'
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-29
Clyde gives it to you straight and he's right on the money - about the game itself and today's NBA.

Great Book for coaches to share
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-26
Walt Frazier hits the nail on the head with his insights into the game as it is played today compared to the way it should be played.

Ira Berkow, the co-author of the first Clyde book, Rockin' Steady, says about The Game...
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-16
"It's an excellent and provocative book." I don't think there's a former great with more cogent things to say about the game of basketball than Walt Frazier. I enjoyed this book immensely and I think it's great for old-timers who remember watching the grace and skill Clyde played the game with and "newbies," who want to learn how to play winning basketball. The chapters on Money, Race and The Players' League are particularly insightful and honest. If you like basketball and care about its evolution, then pick up this book and read it.

Can Clyde Save the NBA?
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-27
Everyone involved with the NBA should read this book. From my viewpoint, as a 40 year old fan and as someone who loved and played basketball through my freshman year of college, Clyde cogently points out the attraction of the game and most importantly where today's professional game has gone dangerously awry.

I'm old enough to remember Clyde's championship Knick teams and still take inspiration from the way those incredible individuals all focused on teamwork.

As the NBA stumbles and bumbles (a nod to Clyde) and becomes more and more irrelevant to a formerly passionate fan base, David Stern and company should take Clyde's analysis to heart. If things don't improve the NBA could soon stand for Nothing But an Afterthought in the world of professional sports.

lighthearted fun
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-19
The Game Within the Game by Walt "Clyde" Frazier with Dan Markowitz is an entertaining, if lighthearted meditation on the game of basketball. Clyde takes modern ballplayers to task for the way they approach the game, but the book is at its best whenever he casually mentions his own youthful indiscretions, like the time he invited two women to the same game and was so worried they'd find out about each other that it wrecked his concentration on the court.

Basketball
Hoop Tales: Maryland Terrapins Men's Basketball (Hoop Tales Series)
Published in Paperback by Globe Pequot (2006-11-01)
Authors: Johnny Holliday and Stephen Moore
List price: $11.95
New price: $3.37
Used price: $1.20

Average review score:

A great read for Johnny and Bball fans
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-09
"Voice of the Terps" broadcaster Johnny Holliday has written this book from the heart. It's an often humorous but always sincere account of Maryland Terp basketball memories that stand out as Holliday's favorites. It is very selective but very cool, and the photos are varied and add much to the enjoyment of this book. A few things make Johnny's book worth having for every college basketball fan: a chapter on many of the veteran referees who were in the middle of the action. Their memories, quotes, opinions, etc are interesting. Coach Gary Williams obviously spent time with Holliday and his co-author Stephen Moore on chapters discussing program "turning points" and the 2002 championship, and Coaches Lefty and Bud give their views as well. Dozens of players talk with Holliday about their favorite moments. Holliday was also friends with Len Bias, and the chapter on Bias is very moving. Many fans are also featured. All in all, I think this is a book for every Maryland Terp fan.

A Celebration of The Maryland Terrapins
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 16 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-08
In 2002 I had the honor of working with the legendary Johnny Holliday on his autobiography, "From Rock To Jock." This detailed account of the "Voice of The Terps" life was critically acclaimed as an entertaining and significant history of broadcasting, Top 40 radio, and sports through the eyes of Johnny. We became close friends during the two years we worked on "From Rock To Jock", and this friendship continued when we were asked to write "Hoop Tales," a very different book, with different goals.

For starters, "Hoop Tales" follows the publisher's format for this popular series. The recipe is assemble a collection of great pictures (and our book has some very good ones, several from Sports Illustrated, and the rest from UMD Hornbake Archives, the Athletic Dept, and personal collections), and select about ten stories that basketball fans will love.

I think we did that and much more. We uncovered new information, such as the earliest formation (and games) of the team; experiences of the veteran referees- in their words - of great players, games, and their interactions with Coaches' Bud, Lefty, and Gary. Coach Williams provides his overview of the turning points in the program's evolution. The chapter on Len Bias is Johnny's personal account of knowing Lenny, and describing his growth as a player and person over four years. Several Terp players have thanked us for this positive portrayal. Coaches Bud, Lefty, and Gary, and many famed players - from Keith Booth to Walt Williams- contributed time and candid accounts to "Hoop Tales," and the greatest living sports writer, John Feinstein, wrote the Foreword.

"Hoop Tales" is a written celebration of the Maryland Terrapins with great photos. I'm giving my own co-authored book a five star rating here - and I know some readers will be critical of this self-promotion - but I can't post this author's info without a rating. And we are very proud of this book and we hope Maryland fans will support it. Thanks, and GO TERPS!!

Not Much New Information
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-04
This very short, very readable history of Maryland University's men's basketball program is an enjoyable read, especially for Maryland basketball fans. That said it also has some drawbacks.

First, there really are not a lot of details here. I didn't really learn anything I didn't already know about the program except maybe some of the items in the first chapter about the program's origins and early years. For example, the chapter on Len Bias is short and non-analytical. I know much, much more about that sad chapter in Maryland's history than is presented in this book - which basically is "it's a sad story, Len Bias was a great player, it hurt the program." Ditto the run to their first Final Four and subsequent NCAA Championship Season.

This book is probably basically what it's supposed to be, a short synopsis of the team's history and is probably better suited for pre-teens and teens than adults who have followed the program for years. Overall, I can't say I was disappointed, but I didn't really get anything out of reading this book.

Maryland Terps fan
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-25
As life long Terps fan, this read is a must. I loved it. Mr. Moore really has captured what being a Terrapin really means to those of us that are die hard fans. Thanks.

Here's a Winner!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-27
Award winning broadcaster Johnny Holliday can add another title and experience to his long and illustrious career - Author!

In "Hoop Tales: Maryland Terrapins Men's Basketball" Holliday, and Stephen Moore, takes the reader inside the Maryland "huddle" to gain insight into one of the most storied programs in college basketball.

As a reader, one can sense the passion Johnny Holliday has for the program, and written words are as enthusiastic as his play-by-play call, or as sweet as the swish of a long jumper.

Len Clark

Basketball
Manute: The Center of Two Worlds
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1993-02)
Author: Leigh Montville
List price: $20.00
New price: $4.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $20.00

Average review score:

Diamond in the Rough
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-16
I was fortunate enough to find this book for ONE DOLLAR at a used book store. I must admit that it is the best dollar that I have ever spent. I watched Manute when I was a teenager and I just remember the extreme height of this man. Thankfully this book showed me that there is MUCH more to Manute than just a really tall Dinka.

I learned a great deal about Sudanese culture and government, much more than I ever learned in school, and I have a Social Science Degree! I was amazed at the value of cows. I was shocked by the rites of passage to become a Dinka man. I was mesmerized by his journey to become an American icon. It's almost too much to believe.

More than anything, this book taught me that a person's true self and personality are what make you special. Although Manute may be the strangest looking man on the planet, you instantly feel a connection to him. It's a shame that Americans hide behind so many walls, titles, etc. and never let their true selves shine as brightly as Manute

captivating and interesting
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-22
i picked up this little gem for seven bucks (used), and it was well worth it. the subject, manute "'nute" bol, is a fascinating one. he came from an iron-age african existence to play pro hoops in the USA. not that he was a great player by any stretch of the phrase (ha!), but he DID make it, right? even if most of his "talent" was wrapped up in his astounding height (7'7"). still, montville's style of writing is a tad simple, so if you're used to and fond of, say, nineteenth-century russian-literature-in-translation, you'll find both the complexity of syntactical structures and level of descriptive detail to be somewhat lacking. buy, hey, it IS, after all, only a sportswriter and his tale of a ball-player, so what the heck can i expect? any hemingway fans out there?

captivating and informative
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-22
picked up this number used. definitely worth the seven bucks that i shelled out for it. the subject, "nute," is a very interesting one. the guy came from, basically, an iron-age existence in africa to emerge as american pro hoops player. albeit not a great player, but he DID make it, right? even if all of his "talent" was tied up in his height (an astounding 7'7"). an amazing story, and manute is portrayed as both intelligent and amusingly eccentric. still, montville's style of writing is a tad simple, so if you're used to and fond of, say, nineteenth-century russian-literature-in-translation, you'll find the complexity of syntactical structure and the level of descriptive detail to be somewhat lacking. then again, it's only a sportswriter talking about a ball-player. any hemingway fans out there?

The Dinka Dunker
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-14
Spectacular description of the life of the greatest shotblocker of all time. From killing tigers in jungles of Sudan to sending opponents' shots into the 10th row with the Rhode Island Gulls -- this one is a winner

I Miss Manute
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-11
I had the great pleasure of working with this slender giant for a few years back when he blocked shots for the Bullets and I was an assistant there. I found this book brought back many memories and really captured the kindess of this man. His political beliefs and fight are so great still. He is like the Sudan's Muhammad Ali except stretched to cruel proportions like black taffy. The writing in this book is straight forward as it should be. I hope Manute knows how proud many of us are of his example. Highly recommended!!

Basketball
Michael Jordan's 50 Greatest Games: From His Ncaa Championship to Six Nba Titles
Published in Paperback by Citadel Press (1998-10)
Author: Bob Condor
List price: $16.95
New price: $10.00
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

this book drains a trey
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-04
The book I read called Michael Jordan's 50 Greatest Games is about MJ's best games that he plauyed. The book is meduim sized and is easy to read. In the book you will learn about MJ from his college years at North Carolina to the NBA on the Bulls team. Each game they rate. They rate tthe games by scoring, game importance, oppnent strength, historical significance, pressure points, defense, MJ's phyisical condition, and long odds. I really liked this book. I recomened this book for peopoe who like MJ and baskeball.

both sides
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-23
I have mixed feelings about Michael Jordan. On the one hand, he is a great athlete. I respect his work ethic. He has turned in a number of great performances and is no doubt one of the greatest to have ever played the game of basketball.

There is a flipside. Michael Jordan got all kinds of special treatment while he was in the NBA. He was the first player I noticed who was granted all kinds of trips to the charity stripe because of unbelievably, ticky tack calls. He scored at least ten points a game at the free throw line from bogus calls. It was great when there was a picture session for 'greats of the game' with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Magic told Larry not to stand too close to Michael or they might call a foul. In front of reporters and television viewers, that was a classic comment by Magic. I believe Mike got 99% of all calls in his favor because he was such a cash cow for the NBA. Dominique Wilkins was robbed of a slam dunk championship when Mike scored a perfect 50 doing the same dunk Dr. J did years before. I doubt Dr. J ever received a perfect 50 for it. Dominique's dunk was much more impressive, and he received a 49.5. Please. Mike got in a fight with Reggie Miller, and only Miller got suspended at first. Only after there was an outcry did Mike get suspended. How are Mike's punches different? Mike elbowed Kevin Johnson to the ground for all to see, and Kevin was called for blocking!

I am not too impressed that the bulls beat the lakers in the NBA finals. Magic was double teamed every game every minute he was in. On top of that, James Worthy and Byron Scott were injured. Magic and Larry never won three championships in a row because the competition, teams, and players in the 80s were much better than the nineties. Luc Longley, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, or Bill Wennington stopping Kareem? Ha!

Sport Magazine recently had a piece on the ten greatest moments and ten greatest players ever in the NBA. Mike was ranked number one all time player. Kudos to Mike for mentioning in 'For the love of the game' that to pick a "greatest ever" is impossible because of all the different eras and evolutions of basketball. The nineties bulls were given three of the ten greatest moments in NBA history. This is just more Mike bias. Give me a break. There are hundreds of classic and amazing moments in NBA history. One of the moments picked was Mike beating the Jazz in the final minutes of his last game. He put his hand on Bryon Russel's backside and shoved him out of the way. Then Mike made the game winnig shot. All eyes were on Mike, but the ref did not make the obvious call.

There is also Mike's arrogance. According to him, Wilt Chamberlain was a fluke eventhough Wilt was a great all around player. He made a comment about Magic and Larry reaching a 'certain level of greatness' and that the two were not good on defense. What? Are we talking about the same Larry Bird? Shaquille Oneal is also much better and much improved than Mike gives him credit for. Shaq has turned into a solid defender, passer, and he works hard at both ends of the floor.

Mike's corporate poster boy behavior is laughable. He did ads for AT&T and then MCI. The Wayans family is also split between the two companies. Mike talked about the enviroment in Rayovac ads and then pitches hot dogs? Mike is not the only athlete who will pitch anything and everything to make millions. I wonder if Mike has checked into Nike's labor practices.

Players like Mike and Charles Barkley soured me on the NBA. Charles played like a thug and got away with it because he was a star. Plus, Charles insisted on wearing number 34 at Philadelphia eventhough it was retired for NBA great Billy Cunningham. The star treatment and inflated egos has grown old, and that has turned a lot of people off to sports. I miss the Lakers and Celtics match ups of the 1980s.

this is a great book for basketball fans
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-20
there are all sorts of neat features in this book. What I especially liked were the box scores, where you can see Jordan's changing cast and how it evolved. I don't agree with every ranking, but he's got good reasons for his choices. There's even a practice listed, which I thought was really interesting.

The author steps up and drains a trey!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-01-20
Everybody has a favorite Michael story; it was a smart move for this writer to hash out an objective way--a formula that makes sense-- to rate stellar MJ performances on the court. In the same way that video stores carry Roger Ebert's movie/video book at the checkout counter, sports bars should stock Condor's book--right behind the Jagermeister and shot glasses--to settle countless Jordan debates that are sure to rage in years to come....

Bob Condor picks em...
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1998-12-06
Condor has some interesting choices...and he has a formula behind his picks... from his number 1 choice, to his 50th...we see a man depecting another man...and both of them know their game...although...i think the third game of the final series with the lakers should have been in there somewhere...but, thats just me

Basketball
The Physics of Basketball
Published in Hardcover by The Johns Hopkins University Press (2006-11-15)
Author: John J. Fontanella
List price: $25.00
New price: $14.08
Used price: $12.99

Average review score:

Shoot da Rock, Baby!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-12
This is a great book for delving deeper into the game of basketball and getting the low down on practical physics. Highly recommend this.

Font size
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-14
I gave the book as a gift and was disappointed when I got a glimpse of the print on the page ... it was very small (to save cost of printing?) and did not look like it would be easy to read....however, I did not read the book so I will have to talk to the giftee to find that info

The true science of basketball
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-13
Over the years, I have found it fascinating to read books on the physics of baseball. Curve balls do curve, knuckle balls do knuckle and scientists have come to admit to the facts that the experimentalists (baseball players) have known for decades. In this book, Fontanella, a physics professor at the United States Naval Academy and a former college basketball player, analyzes the many ways a basketball can bounce. It is very detailed yet extremely entertaining. It is so specific that he points out how much less a basketball weighs as a consequence of air buoyancy. Even to the point where he compares the differences in the weights between the balls used in the women's game versus the men's game. While that part was not of great interest, the rest certainly was.
Like the baseball players, the basketball players have carried out a lot of empirical research. However, not to the extent that Fontanella has. He is very specific about the best angle for a shot, where the "sweet spot" is on the backboard when attempting a lay up and even to the distortion affects on a basketball when it is bounced. While the latter may not appear significant, it is critical for shooting percentages. As the author points out, very few shots are "nothing but net." Most make some contact with the rim and many bounce off the rim before going through the net. The manner in which the ball bounces off the rim is critical. If you have ever played, you know the difference between a soft shot and a "brick."
This is not a book where the author expresses his love for the game and then throws in a bit of physics. It is a serious treatise on basketball with enough formulas so that it could be used in a high school or college physics class. That part was impressive, many coaches would find an examination of this book time well spent.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission

Physics + Basketball
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-10
Physics teachers can add some pizzazz to their lectures with these great basketball stories used to explain physics.

The Physics of Basketball
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-11
Make no mistake about it, this is not an introductory book. This is for people who know basketball and a little physics or know physics and a little basketball. It tells basketball stories to illustrate physics and physics stories to illustrate basketball.
I would recommend this book to high school and college physics teachers to add interest to their discussions. It could even be used as text for a college course on physics of sports. Not only does sport interest students, they already know something about 'how it works' and with the help of this book, an instructor can use physics to introduce them to 'why it works'.
I found of the sequence of explanation of the four force model of the flight of the ball exceptionally well done. As with a good scienctist, he started with data. Then he took one force, gravity, explained how it works, what effect it will have on a shot ball and compared the effect to data. He showed how gravity was necessary but insufficient to explain the ball's motion. Through three more forces: buoynacy, drag (air resistance) and Magnus force, he methodically discussed the force, performed measurements, then added the force to the model. Now that he had the four force model, he used it to explain how a good shooter chooses his shot angle to make a shot 'softer' not, as one might expect, easier. Marvelous -- data, theory (or theories), model, prediction, repeat until it matches nature, and finally use the model to explain something not originally in the model. How much more accurate a view of the method of scientist than the "scientific method".
As the motion of the ball gets more complicated, following the physics does get a bit challenging. Through the discussion of deflections off the rim and backboard, I admit I read for a while and then let it sink in before I returned to it. I was however rewarded in discovering how correct I was in trying to use the board when close to the hoop -- only thirty years too late.
As with any good rock concert, one should be left wanting more, and I wished that the discussion of breaking the glass was given a bit more space. I think a figure or two more showing the effect of compression and tension and how this leads to an explosive break would have helped.
Finally, in addition to instructors, this book would be a good read for your scientist friend or science dabbler who would like good basketball stories along with some good stories of scientific inquiry.

Basketball
Rare Air: Michael on Michael
Published in Hardcover by Harpercollins (1993-10)
Author: Michael Jordan
List price: $19.95
New price: $180.00
Used price: $2.50
Collectible price: $34.75

Average review score:

1st Jordan Book I read & loved it!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-03
Michael Jordan is my favorite athlete! This is the first book I bought on him and I'm very happy. It's brief but there are huge pictured on every page taken by a photographer from Sports Illustrated. It's a quick read but more than enjoyable! Makes a nice addition for any fan!

air
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 23 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-23
I have mixed feelings about Michael Jordan. On the one hand, he is a great athlete. I respect his work ethic. He has turned in a number of great performances and is no doubt one of the greatest to have ever played the game of basketball.

There is a flipside. Michael Jordan got all kinds of special treatment while he was in the NBA. He was the first player I noticed who was granted all kinds of trips to the charity stripe because of unbelievably, ticky tack calls. He scored at least ten points a game at the free throw line from bogus calls. It was great when there was a picture session for 'greats of the game' with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Magic told Larry not to stand too close to Michael or they might call a foul. In front of reporters and television viewers, that was a classic comment by Magic. I believe Mike got 99% of all calls in his favor because he was such a cash cow for the NBA. Dominique Wilkins was robbed of a slam dunk championship when Mike scored a perfect 50 doing the same dunk Dr. J did years before. I doubt Dr. J ever received a perfect 50 for it. Dominique's dunk was much more impressive, and he received a 49.5. Please. Mike got in a fight with Reggie Miller, and only Miller got suspended at first. Only after there was an outcry did Mike get suspended. How are Mike's punches different? Mike elbowed Kevin Johnson to the ground for all to see, and Kevin was called for blocking!

I am not too impressed that the bulls beat the lakers in the NBA finals. Magic was double teamed every game every minute he was in. On top of that, James Worthy and Byron Scott were injured. Magic and Larry never won three championships in a row because the competition, teams, and players in the 80s were much better than the nineties. Luc Longley, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, or Bill Wennington stopping Kareem? Ha!

Sport Magazine recently had a piece on the ten greatest moments and ten greatest players ever in the NBA. Mike was ranked number one all time player. Kudos to Mike for mentioning in 'For the love of the game' that to pick a "greatest ever" is impossible because of all the different eras and evolutions of basketball. The nineties bulls were given three of the ten greatest moments in NBA history. This is just more Mike bias. Give me a break. There are hundreds of classic and amazing moments in NBA history. One of the moments picked was Mike beating the Jazz in the final minutes of his last game. He put his hand on Bryon Russel's backside and shoved him out of the way. Then Mike made the game winnig shot. All eyes were on Mike, but the ref did not make the obvious call.

There is also Mike's arrogance. According to him, Wilt Chamberlain was a fluke eventhough Wilt was a great all around player. He made a comment about Magic and Larry reaching a 'certain level of greatness' and that the two were not good on defense. What? Are we talking about the same Larry Bird? Shaquille Oneal is also much better and much improved than Mike gives him credit for. Shaq has turned into a solid defender, passer, and he works hard at both ends of the floor.

Mike's corporate poster boy behavior is laughable. He did ads for AT&T and then MCI. The Wayans family is also split between the two companies. Mike talked about the enviroment in Rayovac ads and then pitches hot dogs? Mike is not the only athlete who will pitch anything and everything to make millions. I wonder if Mike has checked into Nike's labor practices.

Players like Mike and Charles Barkley soured me on the NBA. Charles played like a thug and got away with it because he was a star. Plus, Charles insisted on wearing number 34 at Philadelphia eventhough it was retired for NBA great Billy Cunningham. The star treatment and inflated egos has grown old, and that has turned a lot of people off to sports. I miss the Lakers and Celtics match ups of the 1980s.

RareAir by Michael on Michael
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1999-02-25
RareAir is Rare, This book was soul out very fast.Michael is a rare player and this is a rare book ,One of the Best Photographs of the century,and a great Editer.Walter Iooss,js and Mark Vancil.if you have this book dont "sell" is a Collectible and a rare Collectible . Words from the man."WHEN I STEP ONTO THE COURT,I'M READY TO PLAY.AND IF YOU'RE PLAYING AGAINST ME,THEN YOU'D BETTER BE READY TOO.IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO COMPETE,THEN I'LL DOMINATE YOU.' RareAir is Hot'Hot'Hot'Hot

Nicely done
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-03-27
This is an oversized book with excellent photography, especially given some of the tricky lighting involved. Jordan's comments are candid, although he did write that once he left the game of basketball, he wouldn't come back. Basketball fans can rejoice that in this estimate, Jordan was wrong.

A in-depth look at the world's most recognizable athlete.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1997-03-17
Michael Jordan -- the essence of Air. This book, a unique photgraphic autobiography, takes a very personal look at the superstar. Michael Jordan opens up and describes his life. The spectacular photograpghy and Michael's own thoghts (on both competition and life) compliment each other perfectly. The book is actually like the title says "Michael on Michael". Full-color photographs (more than 100 previously unpublished) and the clockwork of Michael's world provide the reader with a never-before-seen intimate view of the world's greatest athlete.


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